- For 2025, the Jeep Wrangler’s base V6 will be available only with a six-speed manual trans
- Those who want an automatic gearbox will need to select the 2.0L turbo four-cylinder
- Oddly enough, its sibling, the Gladiator pickup will come only in automatic, even on the same V6
- Oh, and we finally have confirmation there’s a 4xe hybrid variant of Gladiator on the way, too
In what can be viewed as either a win for Team #SaveTheManuals or a gradual winnowing of options at Jeep, the 2025 Wrangler will be available only with a six-speed manual transmission when you stick with the base Pentastar V6 engine. An eight-speed automatic remains on tap as the gearbox of choice for the 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder mill, though.
As for the trim walk, an entry-level Sport will continue to be offered with either said 3.6L V6 or that 2.0L turbo, though the tonier Sahara will just have the latter. As for the mighty Rubicon, it continues forth with both engines on the option sheet, though with the engine-trans pairing restrictions mentioned above. In other words, customers who want an automatic Rubicon in Canada for this model year will be taking the turbo-four.
Our friends at Jeep have promised some extra clarification about powertrain options is forthcoming, and we will update this post appropriately if needed. This is worth talking about since official spec sheets for the 2025 Gladiator, with which the Wrangler shares much, will be available only with an automatic ‘box — even when fitted with that same 3.6L V6 engine.
Speaking of the Gladiator, Jeep says it will add an electrified 4xe plug-in hybrid model to the pickup line in calendar year 2025, as part of the Jeep brand’s mission to offer an electrified variant of all Jeep vehicles sold in North America by the end of that annum.
The 4xe plug-in hybrid guts – a 2.0L turbo engine plus two electric motors and an eight-speed automatic – is also still available on Wrangler, and the powertrain technically breaks out your Jeep into a standalone separate model when optioned. Wrangler 4xe provides up to 35 kilometres of all-electric driving range in the right conditions; we can say from experience that silent off-roading is a hoot, with every tire scrub and rock ping unmuffled by the sound of a combustion engine.
Other changes for 2025 include power locks and windows across the board, even on the base trim, marking the departure of one of the last – if not the last – mainstream large-volume model to still be equipped with wind-up windows. For this, we can likely thank economies of scale, which dictate that it is simply easier and probably cheaper to produce one door panel style for every trim.
There is a new paint colour simply called ’41, a shoutout to Jeep history and said to be inspired by the military olive drab shade. It is also worth pointing out that while the Willys and Rubicon X do not appear in the Canadian spec sheets we reviewed, they are mentioned elsewhere in the 2025 bumf for this country.
Prices have yet to be announced for this new model year, though we will note that adding an automatic transmission to a base two-door Sport layered nearly $4,000 on its MSRP; at least by sticking with the manual, the lower starting price can be maintained to a degree (absent any inflation-driven annual increase, of course).
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